Culture Clash: Ah, the joys of summer -- stinky feet in flip-flops

Sunday

Jun 29, 2008 at 12:01 AM

It’s summer. You know what that means? Flip-flops.

Tim Malcolm and John Meo

Meo: It’s summer. You know what that means? Flip-flops. I hate flip-flops. I hate the way they sound. I hate the way they look. I hate what they intentionally or otherwise suggest: The wearer is too lazy or stupid to tie laces or operate Velcro.

Malcolm: Here you go, getting on your soapbox. Wait, I’ll join you, just let me put on my flip-flops. ... There. Done. Also, thank you for suggesting flip-flops are just a remedy for laziness and/or stupidity. Of course, that’s just in your little mind, a mind where — God forbid — we must tie things to wear them!

Meo: Or zip or button. I’m fine with those too. Forgive me if I have standards and don’t want to see someone’s nasty hammertoes. There is nothing more annoying than the “click, click,” especially in an office setting. Since when did it become acceptable to wear these things to work? Oh, right, since people like you started going.

Malcolm: First, I don’t wear flip-flops at work. So the “you” part is wrong off the bat. Also, some workplaces allow flip-flops, which is fine for them and doesn’t concern you. Are you visiting a bunch of workplaces every day? Didn’t think so. And I don’t know why a simple “clicking” noise bothers you so much — to me it’s more annoying to hear incessant ringtones or, I don’t know, someone talking on his portable earphone device during work. You’re going to rail on flip-flops? Really, did one of your supposed “tree-huggers” bother you on the way to work today?

Meo: Yes. ... And you’re right, the ringtone is another workplace annoyance, but that is perhaps a different column. By “you” I mean your generation: The entitlement generation. The generation that believes standards are for losers, that graduating college means $70K per year and a corner office, when in fact, it means the graduate is simply the proud owner of a very expensive slip of parchment with some fancy embossing. The generation that believes showing up is good enough — in flip-flops, maybe shorts or, for the big events, a graphic T-shirt paired with a leather blazer and fashionably ripped jeans. That “you.”

Malcolm: You got us all wrong. In fact, it was your generation who set the standards we practice today. You know, “whatever, dude” wearing silly flannel shirts and ripped jeans (yes, you all started the ripped jeans craze) and guess what, you guys started the flip-flop trend. Remember how big the surfer lifestyle became in the mid-’90s? That was you guys, opening PacSuns across the country and making “My So Called Life” and Lisa Loeb records cool because they weren’t quite popular, but they were ... man. Your freakin’ poster boys were Jim Breuer and Pauly Shore. You’re to blame for the laziness in our society. And you are all to blame for flip-flops, so live with it.

Meo: Typical. Blame some one else for your generation’s shortcomings. You guys are so lazy and self-important, you can’t even come up with your own bad habits. That’s fine. You want to blame the ’80s and ’90s, go right ahead.

Malcolm: We have shortcomings. Mainly, we are a generation so fixated on living for the moment we have no concept of the big picture, no matter how much we say we do. We’re more inclined to laugh at a cheap joke about President Bush than to actually rally against him. It’s not laziness or self-importance — it’s misdirected energy.

And in no way does that stem from our footwear.

In Culture Clash, Norwich Bulletin Design Editor John Meo, a pragmatist and realist, debates cultural and social topics with Norwich Bulletin Custom Publications Editor Tim Malcolm, an optimist and idealist. E-mail John or Tim at jmeo@norwichbulletin.com or tmalcolm@norwichbulletin.com

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